Wired for the Worst: The risks of hazardous materials in Portage County
By Sally McGinty
Hazardous materials are already part of everyday life in Portage County—stored at local facilities, transported on roads and rail lines, and, if necessary, handled by people trained to respond when something goes wrong.
In plain terms, hazardous materials are substances that can harm people, property or the environment. They may be flammable, explosive, toxic, corrosive, radioactive, biologically hazardous or dangerous in other ways. A release can cause anything from property damage and short-term health effects to serious injury or death.
When these substances are released, the response may involve firefighters, law enforcement, emergency management, search and rescue teams, and specialized hazardous materials units.
Hazmat can be found at fixed sites, such as businesses or industrial facilities, or it can be moving through the county in rail cars, tanker trucks, semi-trailers or other containers.
That means hazardous materials are not just an industrial issue. They are also an emergency planning and response issue for the entire community.
Do we know every hazardous material that is present in Portage County at any given time? No. Local officials have information about certain chemicals stored at businesses and industrial facilities, but materials moving through the county by road or rail can change from day to day.
Hazmat transportation is highly regulated to protect people, property and the environment. Regulations govern requirements for packaging, labeling, placarding and training. Trucks and train cars have placards affixed that indicate what hazardous materials are being carried so that, if an incident occurs, responders know what they are dealing with.
One reason local officials have visibility into fixed-facility chemicals is the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, or EPCRA. Congress passed EPCRA in 1986 after the 1984 disaster in Bhopal, India, where a hazardous chemical release killed or severely injured thousands of people.
EPCRA has two important ideas built into it: Communities should plan for chemical emergencies, and the public has a right to know about certain hazardous and toxic chemicals stored in their area.
Locally, that work happens through the Portage County Local Emergency Planning Committee, or LEPC. The committee brings together emergency response agencies, local government, public health, the Department of Natural Resources, UW-Stevens Point, media, and representatives from business and industry.
For residents, the LEPC matters because it helps turn chemical information into preparedness. Among other responsibilities, the committee reviews and approves emergency response plans for local facilities that keep amounts of certain substances above reporting thresholds. That planning gives responders better information before an incident occurs.
The LEPC meets quarterly, with agendas and minutes available on the Portage County Public Meeting Portal. Meetings are open to the public, and the next meeting is Thursday, Aug. 6, at 8:30 a.m.
Hazardous materials are part of modern life, but planning, reporting and coordinated response help reduce the risk to the community. In our next column, we’ll talk about hazardous materials response capabilities in Portage County and what you can do to be prepared for a hazmat incident near your home.